Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-09-07
PENNED In BY FLAMES.
Fire Breaks Out in Five-Story Building
at Midnight and Panic Ensues.

at Midnight and Panic Ensues.
New YORK, Sept. 5.-The cry of fire
was raised about l o'clock this morning
in Fiftieth Street, between Tenth and
Eleventh Avenues. It was no sooner
heard than a scene of the widest ex-
element and panic ensued. The block
is filed with tenement houses on both
sides of the street. The fire was in the
ffth-story double-decker, 522, which
with four others adjoining it are owned
by Potter Bros. The buildings are of
brick and have about seventy-fye feet
depth; fourteen families live on each
floor. In the basement are wood houses
and coal bins. The fire apparently
started in one of the wood houses, shot
up through the air shaft, burned
its way toward the stairway
and spread its force in the upper stories.
Luckily several apartments in the house
had not been occupied recently and
there. They were panic-stricken. They
had to find their way through the
smoke-men carrying children and
women with their arms full Of clothing,
household effects, etc. A panic equally
as great occurred in the houses 5l0 and
$40 where there really was no danger.
To add to the horror, the gas was turned
off and in the excitement no light could
be had. The inmates, frantic in their
efforts to escape, fell over each other,
and trampled upon one another.
The escape of the people from the
burning building was most fortunate
Those on the first floor got out without
any trouble and those on the upper
floors loft nv wau or tho fro ocoanoS
Some Of them went up to the roof and
escaped to the adjoining building and
few managed to get down stairs through
the smoke and advancing flames. There
was great excitement and women
shrieked and children cried. The fire.
men aided CALAMITY in the escape of the
inmates. The flames shot up the stairway
and eat their way to the front of
the building and then rapidly shot out
on all sides, through the windows and
the root. The inmates of 518 and 500
became alarmed and left their rooms.
James Harmon jumped from the root Of
had his leg broken. A little
girl was left on the balcony Of the top
story of SIS, but was. rescued by fire.
man. Fireman Mcnamara and other
fremen were in the third story when a
huge tank crashed through the root.
They had narrow escape from being
killed. 1t fell within few feet of
them and two of the men were struck
by falling timbers and bricks. Fireman
William Mobiles was at work in the yard
when huge pile of brick fell down from
the roof, almost burying him. He was
badly bruised about the body The po-
lice officers had gone to the top floor
leaving Officer Haggerty on the third,
where be was assisting little girl to get
out. He helped her down the stairs
when the flames began to show them
selves on the third floor and cut off his
escape His right hand was severely
burned. He rushed to the top story and
got out on the roof with Officer Brophy
They climbed down to the adjoining
roof and came down through that build
ing.
The fire burned through the two up
per stories, badly cutting them. 1t was
nearly o'clock before the fire was
under control. 1t was rumored that
several people had been burned, but
after the flames were extinguished the
fremen made careful search Of the
ruins but no bodies were discovered.
The occupants of the burned building
lost everything they possessed and only
one OF them carried insurance.